Starry Skies – Happy Nights
by Kuugen the Fox
Summary: A Valiant Hearts II special: This time - New Years in Hollow Bastion.


**Valiant Hearts II**

Special III

_Starry Skies – Happy Nights_

Even though most worlds had their own customs, there was one festival that was held in nearly all of them. The celebration of a year passed. And it was no different in Hollow Bastion.

Cid was especially looking forward to it, as it was his job to prepare the fireworks shot into the dark sky over Hollow Bastion each year. It was a job he loved so much that he always grew restless and got more annoying the closer the last day of the year came.

Training was canceled for a few days before and after, and the local owner of the shops got together and put up a buffet for everyone. It was thanks to them all that Hollow Bastion remained safe, and so it was only natural that everyone gave a little to make the festival a success.

Tifa and Aerith were very busy. They had taken up the job of preparing the alcoholic drinks this year, and on top of that, Naminé and Olette were with them this year. It was their first New Year's festival, and they wanted it to be a good memory for them.

While Kairi knew the process and helped out Leon with the planning and giving orders, Naminé and Olette didn't have much to do. They were feeling a little forgotten with everyone busy. While Olette had experienced a similar festival in Twilight Town, Naminé had never even seen fireworks.

"I am so…so…_so_ bored!" Olette was lying around lazily on the bed in Yuffie's apartment. Yuffie was rarely at home these days. While Cid was the head of electronics and mechanics in Hollow Bastion, there was no one more well versed in the art of fireworks than Yuffie. Cid could only make bombs and he lacked the dexterity and intuitive talent for making delicate things like fireworks.

Yuffie walked over to the brunette and unloaded a bucket of paper shells that had to be prepared for the festival. "Put them together. Don't worry, there's no powder in these yet. Do all these, then you'll feel less bored and aren't gonna complain all day about how you have nothing to do. It's not my fault Kairi is busy and thus training is canceled."

Olette frowned and sat up. She started to get to work without a single word. She was silently sulking a bit since Yuffie seemed a little mad about her depending on Kairi so much for her daily training. She was their tactician, after all, so training in pure strength aside, training in combinations was useless without her.

"I'm going to get back to work. Cid and I have a surprise for everyone tomorrow night." Yuffie smiled and showed Olette a thumbs-up sign and vanished through the door, leaving Olette behind.

The whole bed, the ground and probably a lot more places Olette didn't know about yet were covered by the countless paper shells Yuffie was sort of storing inside her apartment. With a sigh, Olette threw the completed shells into one corner and continued her work. This would take all day.

---Valiant Hearts---

Naminé was being less annoying than Olette. She had accepted that Kairi was really busy for now, and left her alone, anticipating the festival everyone else was looking forward to. It would be her first festival with Kairi. Earlier, Aerith had talked to her and explained that even though they were only sixteen years old, the girls were allowed to get some alcoholic drinks. Given their jobs, the people in Hollow Bastion wanted them to live at least freely.

Aerith was quite the malicious one and had added with a small grin that Kairi was no big drinker and that this would be Naminé's chance to spend some quality time with her. Naminé wondered what "quality time" meant, but had forgotten to ask.

Spending her time walking through town, Naminé pulled her scarf closer. It was bitterly cold out and it was the first time Naminé had seen snow. The town itself was too warm for most of the snow to remain, but the areas just outside and the canyon were clad in big, white fluffy armor.

Naminé walked through deep, fresh snow, only leaving behind her footprints. She was wearing a thick, warm white coat that Aerith had bought for her a few days ago in one of the local shops. She also had on a fluffy white scarf and a pair of warm boots that fully equipped her for the season. Naminé found a lot of joy in drawing the town's roofs clad in white or the snow-filled canyon. Rydia had offered to let Naminé borrow her camera, but Naminé preferred to draw.

Now, sitting on a high wall from where she could monitor the towns buzzing activity, Naminé enjoyed how well everyone seemed to get along. Especially Tifa and Aerith were in a good mood whenever they were at home.

"Ah, I thought I'd find you here."

Naminé turned around and found Olette walking up to her. Her clothes were totally different from her usual attire. She was wearing long, warm black pants and a light brown-colored sweater with a red scarf. Her outfit was a real stretch on regular fashion sense.

"You look tired, Olette." Naminé's observations were often painfully accurate and bold.

"No wonder. Yuffie put me through hell assembling at least near infinity of those firework things. I know my fingers are gonna be sore for days," Olette complained and sat down next to Naminé. They looked at the gray, cloudy sky. It seemed like it was about to snow again.

"Everyone's really busy, huh." Olette said after a few minutes of silently watching the town next to each other.

"Yeah. It feels like we're the only ones doing nothing," Naminé said, and smiled to herself, leaning on Olette's shoulder. She hadn't spent time with Olette alone for a while now. It felt good to just talk with her and be like this.

"You're as clingy as ever, Naminé. And hey, _I_ was working!" Olette pouted and laid an arm around Naminé's shoulders. If anyone who didn't know them saw them like this, they'd assume that the two girls were a couple. But that was so far removed from the truth.

"I can't wait for tomorrow night. Everyone is working hard for it, so I'm really looking forward to it. Hm…" Naminé leaned onto the brunette and seemed to be thinking really hard. "Did your breasts grow a bit?"

That kind of question was something a normal person could never say. But that was still in the frame of being "normal" for Naminé.

"I swear, sometimes I think you're doing this on purpose." Olette shoved Naminé off and stuck out her tongue. "I am _not_ gonna end up like Tifa!"

They couldn't help but laugh now. The atmosphere was peaceful, and for the first time in who knew how long, they were relaxing and happily looking forward to the next day without worry. The Heartless had always been quite dormant during the few last and first days of the year, as if they were taking a break too. It gave everyone the chance to enjoy the happiness of an almost-normal life once a year.

"What do you say we go take a look at Kairi ordering people around? I wonder if they're being treated any worse than we usually do." Olette had a smug grin on her face, imagining the embarrassed face of the redhead when they showed up right when she was scolding someone.

"You're evil, Olette." Naminé replied and got up. Evil or not, she wanted to see Kairi and couldn't resist the urge to go now that Olette had proposed it. "Just a quick look?" Naminé smiled and took the hand of the brunette after she got up as well.

"Just a quick look." Olette was already having problems holding her laughter back. Kairi at work was a whole different person from Kairi the Keyblader—a real tyrant who didn't accept excuses. She was taking a lot after Leon in that regard.

Olette couldn't help but unconsciously look at the bustline of the girl next to her. It was so unfair! She was developing more and more into a tomboy while Naminé was going straight for the classy lady look. It made her jealous. So unfair, unfair!

And Naminé was totally oblivious to that development. Olette sighed heavily. Kairi had made one hell of a catch there…so to speak, since it was Naminé who had made the catch. Olette's head started to spin. Too many complicated thoughts for now.

"Want to spend tomorrow night together?" Olette said, and the blond girl stopped dead in her tracks, blushing and covering her mouth. She looked in another direction.

"You're so bold, Olette…I'm…I'm okay with it." Naminé was looking in a _very_ particular way at the brunette girl now.

"I didn't mean it like that! Why are you only sharp when it comes to things like this? You pervert girl!" Olette responded angrily and turned around, blushing as well. Naminé's face caused her to…_imagine_.

"Olette, your nose is bleeding." Naminé rummaged in her pocket and pulled out some tissues. She gave them to the slightly annoyed girl, who stuffed them in her nose, making it look plumper. The image made Naminé laugh so much that Olette got even more annoyed and started to stomp off.

--- Valiant Hearts ---

"You can stop for today, Garnet." Rydia was really grateful for the black-haired girl who worked part-time for the festival in her shop. It was cold out and given the work that was there was to do, a lot more people than usual came by her shop. She was totally overwhelmed alone.

The quite beautiful girl gave a happy nod, put down her apron and tablet, and came behind the counter. "Don't worry about it, Rydia. My other part-time place is vacant right now. The owner decided to close the place for the time being."

Garnet was a really nice girl who worked hard. Rydia didn't know her really well yet, but the girl was sixteen, living alone, and a real sweetie. She never complained and also attracted a lot of young guys who probably just came to look at her in an apron. To top it off, the girl knew a lot about eidolons, but that topic rarely came up between the two.

"Do me a favor and go check on Leon. He's probably already a Popsicle and still ordering people around like a king. And be so good as to bring him this." Rydia filled a Thermos bottle with hot coffee and closed it tightly before handing it to Garnet.

After putting on her coat and scarf, Garnet held the warming bottle in her hands and waved goodbye to Rydia. The work at her coffee shop was really easy compared to working in the Kupos', and the pay was okay too. She would ask Rydia if she could continue this after the festival.

It was not too difficult to locate Leon. She just had to follow the stream of orders and complaints that were echoing through the district. Cid had lent the leader a nice, loud megaphone that was a keepsake from a friend. Garnet didn't know many people her age except Yuffie, who she had seen very seldom lately. She was always hanging out with the Keybladers now.

Garnet felt a little jealous, but the dangerous work was nothing for her. She had had enough of that for two lifetimes. She shivered as she remembered the fight against Kuja. It had started to snow and there were a few white flakes on her smooth black hair. She had once cut it short, but she'd started to grow it back out after she started working in the Kupos.

There he was, right in the center of the plaza. The whole place was being remodeled so that Cid and Yuffie could go wild. This was Garnet's first fireworks festival in Hollow Bastion as well, and she was really looking forward to it.

"Leon." She stood next to him, but his ears seemed to be frozen.

"Leon!" She got a bit louder. There was still no reaction, but the Keyblader girl next to Leon, Kairi, tapped her on the shoulder, pointed to her ears and signaled Garnet to put her fingers in them.

The girl had never had to do anything with the Keybladers. She had never even talked to Kairi before. She put the Thermos can in her pocket (it didn't really fit) and then put her fingers in her ears and shouted with all her might. "_Leon!!_"

The man abruptly turned around, and forgot to put down the megaphone. With a ridiculously loud voice, Garnet got an answer. "WHAT?!"

Leon quickly realized that the megaphone was still there and put it down. "My bad. What do you need?"

Garnet felt a little dizzy but handed Leon the Thermos. "Rydia sent me. She said you should drink this before you turn into a Popsicle." Garnet didn't like or dislike Leon. His personality left things to be desired, but he was a good, responsible, and smart leader. There was no one in Hollow Bastion who could have done his job better. He was just a tad too strict and eager to do his job. He was the perfect man for it.

"Thank you." Leon shook his hands and tried hard to open the Thermos. Taking a large gulp, a large portion of color returned to his cold and pale face. He was never a man of many words. He just gave the girl a nod and started shouting orders again. Garnet was happy that she wasn't one of the workers.

Back at the shop, Rydia was preparing to close. The last customers always left this time of day, and she could go home and finally relax a bit before the hectic next day. It was one of her rare free days, and she would enjoy it to the fullest.

She wanted to help the brave girls who protected her new home. But there was another pressing matter. She had no one to spend the New Year's festival with. Most of her friends from back then were gone or missing, and being a shop owner, she knew many people but didn't have too many friends. Maybe she would ask Garnet if she wanted to spend the day together.

--- Valiant Hearts ---

Kairi was tired. So tired that she actually admired Leon's stamina. He had started that day way before she had and he was still going strong. Ordering people around was apparently deep in his blood. Kairi was trying her best, but she didn't compare. She tapped Leon's arm and signaled with a simple hand sign that she was taking a break.

Leon just nodded and immediately started yelling at some worker who'd just dropped a cardboard box filled with stuff. He would make this festival a success. Even if everyone had to work hard, they would be grateful for his bossy attitude if they saw just how nice an event it would be.

Cid and Yuffie had said something about having a surprise for the Keybladers, but there was also the big event on the square Leon was standing on right now. The event started in the afternoon and went on until early in the morning of the next day. There would be stalls that sold trinkets, stalls where one could play games to win prizes, and a big tent where everyone could sit, eat, and drink. Since everyone helped, it was all free.

Taking a deep breath and another coffee break, Leon looked around. Everyone was doing their best, and despite his hard attitude, they didn't seem to think of him as a nuisance. He was doing his best in his own way.

Leon grabbed the pendant he was wearing. If only he could spend this day with _her_…

But no use lamenting now. Picking up the megaphone, he gave final instructions for this evening. It was almost too dark to work now, but most of the stalls at least were standing. Cid only had to connect the electricity and some finishing touches were to be done and everything would be ready.

Leon had had a hard day. Maybe he would stop by at Tifa's bar and get a drink. He dropped the megaphone off at Cid's stall (he didn't want anyone to pick it up) and started walking towards the bar. The snow on the ground make loud crunching sounds when he stepped on it. There were countless footprints on the way. It was not unusual for it to snow at this time of the year, and it was quite a nice touch.

He instinctively stopped in front of the pub. There was quite a commotion going inside the Seventh Heaven. He stepped aside when it got even louder. It took only a few seconds until a pretty big guy, at least two heads taller than Leon and twice the muscle, came flying head first out of the bar. A pretty angry Tifa stepped outside and clenched her fist.

"There are only so few rules in this place and you broke one of them in five minutes. If I ever see you in here again, you'll be leaving this shop _without_ your head." The woman glared at the guy, who seemed rather angry but left. Nobody was dumb enough to get into a fight with Tifa.

Leon waited until everything calmed down, watching the dark gray (nearly black now) sky for a while and the slowly falling snowflakes. The scenery was calming. But he was getting cold, and when he entered the bar, he found Tifa getting scolded by Aerith.

"You didn't have to actually _throw him out_, Tifa." Aerith didn't seem very angry. More than half of the people inside were following their little argument with high interest and many started laughing when Aerith raised her voice an octave and Tifa shrunk a bit.

Leon sat down next to a man named Basch. He was relatively new in Hollow Bastion, but he was already one of the few people Leon got along with very well.

"Hard day at work, huh?" Basch greeted the new guest and lifted his arm slightly to order a new drink. Tifa saw it from the corner of her eye, excused herself from the scolding punishment, and quickly went to take his order. Aerith was still standing behind the counter, arms crossed, giving Tifa a look that made her slink away.

"Two mugs," Basch simply ordered, and Tifa only noticed Leon now. She was lately getting along a bit better with him, but they still weren't exactly best friends. Greeting him quickly, Tifa went to another table to take more orders. Now that their little act was over with, people were getting thirsty again.

Aerith postponed the punishment and signaled a pretty desperate Tifa, who shrank even more, much to the amusement of the people in the bar.

"What did the other guy do to get Tifa mad?" Leon was a little bit curious now. Basch was one of the very few people he actually talked with casually. Outside the committee, that was.

"He hit Aerith's bottom when she walked by. Tifa saw red and threw him head first out of the room. Was quite a view." Basch laughed and took a large gulp from the mug that Tifa had hastily placed in front of him.

The atmosphere in the bar was amazing. Apart from that little accident, which everyone was amused by, everyone was happily drinking and talking to others. Looking around, there were many people Leon didn't know.

"How are the others doing?" Leon had been surprised when the survivors of the world Basch was from had arrived. Not only was their number more than usual, it was quite the party. A princess, her royal guard, a pirate, a woman with long rabbit-like ears, and a little girl who was rather depressed.

"Balthier is on a treasure hunt with Fran like always. I think they're coming back tomorrow. Penelo's still preparing for tomorrow. She's going to have a performance on stage. Her singings really gotten good. And you really shouldn't have to ask where Ashe is." Basch took another gulp and pointed to the guest right next to him.

Leon leaned forward and looked, seeing the former princess wasted and sleeping on the table. It really was typical for Basch to stay at her side, even now.

"Basch the loyal guard, never leaving the princess's side." Leon smiled and took a gulp from his mug. The beer tasted especially good after a day's worth of hard work. "You've really got your act together. It takes most people weeks to really settle down here." He put up his hand and Tifa came over after a few seconds. He ordered a new mug.

"We went through a lot. Seen things you wouldn't believe. Well, maybe you would." He laughed and thought of their long journey and of what they had seen. "But we thought, 'We can't mourn forever.' Balthier didn't seem to be too sad. He has a whole new world to discover now."

Basch thought of all the people that had vanished. But what use was it to cling to the past? He had to do what he could do.

"It must be hard for the princess to have lost her status and kingdom." Leon looked at Ashe, who was fast asleep. It'd probably take a meteor to wake her up now.

"She's getting by. It is indeed sad that she lost Rabanastre again after getting it back…but there was nothing we could do. Saving as many as we could as the best thing we could do. We're really thankful for the people of Milos Rista who took all the survivors in."

Milos Rista—the beach resort. Its citizens had long wished to expand their town and influence but lacked the manpower. It was the survivors from Rabanastre who helped them build new homes. Despite the racial differences, everyone was welcome, no matter if they were Bangaa, Viera, Seeq or Moogle. Especially the rabbit-eared Viera were quite a view in the summer on the beach.

"Don't mention it. But why are you staying here? Doesn't the princess want to stay with her people?" Leon had always wondered why the princess refused to live in Milos Rista.

"She's not a princess anymore. Her kingdom is gone. That's what she says. But let's talk about something else." Basch didn't want the mood to become all serious. Leon was a natural magnet for such topics, and as such, Basch had to draw the subject away more often than not.

Two more people entered the bar. Leon recognized both of them. One was the girl who worked at Rydia's shop and had delivered the coffee to him. The other was the songstress, Penelo, who was part of Basch's group. Arm in arm, and quite drunk, they staggered to the bar.

"I think this will be entertaining." Basch laughed loudly and remembered how Penelo was completely carefree and a party animal when she got drunk. That, coupled with the general atmosphere in here, meant that they would have something amusing to watch now.

Even Leon couldn't help but laugh when one of the girls tried repeatedly to sit on a high chair and kept sliding off.

--- Valiant Hearts ---

Olette was carrying a beaten and exhausted Yuffie, while Naminé was helping a tired Kairi. It was quite a caravan. It was freezing outside, but at least it wasn't far to their house. Tifa and Aerith had invited Yuffie and Olette over, and Yuffie had instantly accepted when the words "free food" reached her ears.

Yuffie's place was more or less a storehouse for fireworks now anyway. It had become quite problematic to live there. Olette was a bit thankful to at least spend one night in a clean room. She didn't mind the usual chaos that Yuffie caused, but as it was now, it was simply too much. _Way_ too much.

"I think my ears are frozen," Yuffie blurted out casually. Naminé pinched her ears and Yuffie gasped and tried to jump away, apparently having forgotten that she was being carried. Olette and Yuffie both landed quite hard in the snow.

"You moron! As punishment, you are going to walk the rest of the way yourself!" Olette cursed and knocked some snow off her clothes. Yuffie was giving Naminé a harsh glare, but the mischievous girl just smiled.

"Fine. Then I'm going to sleep here." Yuffie was lying in the snow on her back, staring upwards into the night sky. Crossing her arms, she started sulking and closed her eyes.

"Enough is enough!" Olette clenched her fist, grabbed Yuffie's leg, and simply pulled her like a sled through the snow—but not at a normal tempo. After a few steps of Yuffie still sulking, Olette started to run. Roughly a hundred feet later, she stopped and Yuffie got up, looking amazingly similar to a snowman some local kids had built nearby.

"You win," Yuffie said, and spat out some snow. She followed by cleaning her face. "You're evil," Yuffie cursed. She threw a snowball at Olette, who was too quick. Olette avoided the snowball and stuck out her tongue.

"You two…" Kairi was quite annoyed now. She didn't mind their pranks on each other, but a snowball right in the face was really unpleasant. Her facial color was getting closer to that of her hair with each passing second.

Letting go of Naminé, Kairi grabbed a handful of snow, quickly made a snowball and started throwing. Yuffie was hit head-on because Olette had blocked her line of sight. Not about to let that pass, Yuffie started what would escalate into the snowball fight of the century in a few minutes.

Aerith and Tifa, finally having closed the bar, were on their way home when they saw something that didn't belong to Hollow Bastion—a massive tower of ice and snow. It was pretty close to their house. What was going on there?

Finally reaching the scene of crime, Tifa almost knocked herself out cold with laughing. Olette and Yuffie had built a catapult of sorts, loaded with giant snowballs, while Kairi and Naminé had built themselves a magic snow fort. Both parties were using Keyblades.

Aerith took a deep sigh. "Since you're having so much fun causing trouble for others, I assume you are all fit to work double shifts tomorrow?"

Her voice cut clear through the noise of snowballs flying. A sudden, eerie silence dominated the area.

"Aerith?" Olette poked her head out from behind a barricade.

"Hi, Aerith! Hi, Tifa!" Naminé waved down from the top of the fort.

Yuffie had missed the timing just for a second. Olette was responsible for aiming the catapult. The next snowball flew uncontrolled in a very, very undesirable direction. After a loud splashing sound, Tifa's laughter quickly stopped. It only took two seconds for Tifa, who seemed to be quite in a hurry, to pass Yuffie and Olette's barricade and get herself to safety.

"You four…" Aerith's voice was like thunder roaring through the sky. A bad omen.

"_Shiva!_" Aerith shouted, and everyone got more than a lifetime of snow and ice.

--- Valiant Hearts ---

Aerith finally left the shower. Those girls, _really_…her nose was a tad red from the impact of the snowball. But at least she had taught them a valuable lesson: do not throw snowballs at Aerith.

Tifa was already in bed, reading a novel and waiting for Aerith. "You went a little overboard there, Aerith," the black-haired woman said without looking up. She waited until she finished her page, then put a finger in the book, closed it and rolled over. She was wearing a long and wide shirt that was at least four sizes too big for her. It that doubled as pajamas.

Aerith rolled her eyes and sighed. "Maybe. But those girls need to learn to control their powers." Grabbing a comb, the woman sat down.

Tifa let the novel go, having the page memorized, and took the comb from her partner. "I'll do it for you."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Aerith enjoyed Tifa combing her hair. It was always a pain since she often wore it in a long braid. So when she let it down and straight, it was often a bit curly.

"I can't believe it's already been so long since we first came here," Tifa said after a moment.

Aerith smiled and thought about it herself. It was amazing how fast a year passed. She still clearly remembered that night in the club when she had asked Tifa out. It seemed just like yesterday.

It had been the best decision of her life. All the time traveling, all the adventures. She had already followed Cloud. In the end, though, it was the one rival in love she had that she herself fell in love with. Slowly, but surely.

"Yes, it's really been some time. But I'm happy…just a little bit…that we came here. I am sad for everyone we lost, you know that…but…" Aerith turned around and showed such a gentle smile that Tifa's heart beat a little faster.

Caressing Aerith's cheek, Tifa came a little closer and kissed the same spot. "I know. I feel the same. I do miss everyone sometimes. I will never get used to them being gone…but…but I have you now. And the girls. I wouldn't trade that in for changing the past."

"I can't wait for tomorrow." Aerith smiled, and Tifa nodded.

"Me too."

--- Valiant Hearts ---

"You really oughta show yer face in town, man. No one's seen ya for weeks." Cid threw a little flask with some high-proof drinks to the guy sitting on the rocks across from him. He sometimes went out here, where Cloud spent his days, after he had had a few drinks. They were pals, despite the fact that the guy had ruined his treasure, the little bronco.

"Hm…" He had never been a very talkative fellow, but it had gotten worse after his world had gone to hell. Nowadays he spent his time quietly outside the town. Even though living in a cave sounded rough, Cid had helped him with necessaries. He came over once a week to talk and deliver food.

He was the silent and quiet protector of the town. Leon was the leader, but he didn't want his job. He liked it out here. It gave him time to think about himself.

"Still looking for Sephiroth as always, I guess, huh? You need to let go, man. He just roams around the worlds, looking for strong enemies. He probably won't ever come back." Cid lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. He enjoyed his talks with Cloud.

"No. He will come back, one day. We still have a score to settle." He had heard of Sephiroth's deeds here and there. Once, he had killed an evil tyrant that was called immortal. Another time he had killed a hero who was said to be unbeatable. But no matter where Cloud went, he was always too late. His nemesis was always a step ahead of him. But no longer. He would wait.

"I no longer chase him. He will come back. Come back, when there are no more enemies stronger than me. And for that day, I live." Cloud was not as depressed as he once was, but he still liked the peace and quietness of the outskirts of the canyon. Living out here meant he could train every day, sharpen his senses and technique with the Heartless and at the same time…protect what was left of the party that once believed in him, trusted him, and followed him.

He had never wanted to be the leader. It was just pushed onto him. But it didn't matter anymore. He was content with what he was now.

"You know, ya always talk like you don't care crap about the town 'n all. But that ain't right. I know ya. You've never been the evil type. Not like Seph. Tifa always told ya that, too." Cid took another deep breath. Cloud handed him the flask and Cid took a gulp. The liquid burned in his throat and brought some color back to his face.

"Maybe you're right. But still, I like what I do now. You know me, Cid. I've never liked mobs of people. Never talk much." Cloud actually smiled a little. He liked Cid; he always cheered Cloud up.

"The girls are getting stronger every day. You should see Olette. She's soon gonna give Tifa a run for her money. And she uses _two_ swords." Cid took another gulp and gave the flask back to Cloud.

"Sounds interesting. Maybe I'll ask her for a match one day." Cloud grabbed his big sword—he no longer wrapped it in bandages—and swung it one time through the air.

"How're Tifa and Aerith doing?" Cloud knew from the beginning that he was not fit to make them happy. He was content for things to be as they were between them. Tifa was probably still mad, but Aerith knew. She understood him, and had let go at some point. Didn't push any more responsibility on him.

"They're fine. As lovey-dovey as ever. Still can't believe ya turned both down. One hell of a waste, if ya ask me." Cid laughed and patted Cloud's shoulder.

The blond swordsman smiled again and hit Cid's shoulder with his fist. "You know how things were. I've told you many times, you drunkard." Cloud was still thankful for his friend.

"There's some guy in town—rather new, I'd say—that's a bit like you. What's he called? Bosch…no…Basch, I think. Next time I'll bring him along. Maybe Leon, too. He's a hard nut, but he's a good guy, you know that." Cid counted people on his fingers and stood up, only to stagger and nearly fall over.

"Still the same old Cid." It was already a routine. Cid drank too much and Cloud drank not enough. He always had to help Cid back to town.

"Thanks, man. World's turning a bit right now. Stupid world, always turning…" Cid babbled and let Cloud help him walk back to the town.

It took them nearly half an hour to get back, and there was an unexpected guest waiting for Cloud.

"It's been a while." Leon lifted his hand. He had a knack for leaning against the wall. Maybe a bad habit, maybe just instinct.

"It really has." Cloud had never gotten along with Leon too well. Tifa, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid had initially wanted him to take charge of the committee, but Cloud was the wrong man for it and he had rejected the proposal.

"Cid's the same old drunkard as ever, I see." Leon left his spot and went to help Cloud carry the now passed-out mechanic. It was always the same with him.

"How are things going inside?" Cloud had gotten a little curious after his talk with Cid. He never showed his face in town much, and lately even less, but he still cared about the people.

"For the circumstances, pretty well. There's a festival tomorrow. I think Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid would be happy if you were to show your face too." Leon knew about his quiet nature and his distanced behavior. The two had some things in common, and most of these were faults.

"There's a small tent just outside the district, up on the walls. Usually, it's just me, and Cid checks by when he's not too drunk to walk." Leon made a offer in his own way. Cloud understood.

Maybe it was due time to finally forget about the past differences. Maybe he, too, should show he was a citizen of Hollow Bastion, despite not living inside the walls. That he was, at heart, as much as Leon.

"I'll think about it." Cloud was pretty sure he wouldn't go, but he really was grateful for the offer. "Thank you."

They finally reached Cid's garage. They just dropped him off there, as it was warm enough inside.

"I'll be going." Cloud turned and waved. Leon remained where he was and watched the silent back of the swordsman. He really was not a man of many words, but Leon knew just too well how many Heartless attacks he had deflected all on his own. The canyon was a source of them, and Cloud lived there exactly for that reason.

Blowing air on his hands, Leon left for his own place. Tomorrow would be a busy day.

--- Valiant Hearts ---

"Cheers!" Tifa shouted through the megaphone, standing on the pedestal in the middle of the square. Everything was finished, and it was time to officially launch the festival.

A mass of dozens of people, well-known people of Hollow Bastion and more, lifted up a mug of beer and shouted at once. "Cheers!"

The stalls had opened, the festival was on. The atmosphere was the best they had ever seen. Everyone was smiling. The warmth of people drinking, laughing, and smiling together let them forget about the cold.

Kairi and Naminé were sitting with Olette and Yuffie, the latter two having lost a huge sum of money at the shooting stands. Yuffie had won nothing, and Olette had won a large cat that reminded Yuffie, so she said, of an old friend.

All four of them were drinking, but only beer. Naminé was constantly complaining about the bitter taste until Kairi put in so much cola that Naminé's drink was barely a beer anymore. Yuffie had already drowned her losing strike at the stalls with six beers. It was still the middle of the day.

Rydia was sitting with Tifa and Aerith. All three were talking about nothing special, only the fact that Rydia was still looking for a boyfriend. The summoner had had to endure Tifa's constant teasing until a slightly drunk Ashe, who Tifa and Aerith knew was regular in their bar, showed up and put up quite the fight against Tifa. Aerith and Rydia watched them both like a tennis match. It ended with both Tifa and Ashe getting a damper from the other two women.

Cid was still working on the fireworks and had already send someone to, if necessary, forcibly kidnap Yuffie from her table and get her to help. He was still slightly hungover from the night before, but he was positive that Cloud would show his spiky head today.

Basch was sitting with Leon on a table, enjoying quite a strong beer. They talked about how it was good that the whole preparation had finally paid off. Leon was in quite a good mood and had started to constantly smile and sometimes laugh a little.

Yuffie, who was being dragged along by Penelo, made a joke about who Leon was and what he had done to the real Leon. "I refuse to believe that Leon is able to smile! It's unthinkable! That old, stuck-up—" Yuffie was dragged along before she could finish her insults.

"Yes, yes. Save your energy, Miss Big Mouth," Penelo scolded her and finally let her go when they reached the spot where Cid was preparing the fireworks.

It was quite cold outside the tent and Yuffie started to shiver. "What the hell did you call me out here for?" Yuffie started to complain, while Penelo vanished as quickly as she had come.

"Who the blazes 's supposed to know what's what in this chaos? You do it. Now!" Cid lamented and pointed at a virtually infinite mess of cables, in a thousand colors, which were all running together at a console.

Yuffie was near tears.

"Everything okay?" Garnet was helping Penelo with her costume. Despite the cold weather, it was quite hot in the tent, so the skimpy costume was not too cold. It was too bold, though, for Garnet. She was embarrassed just thinking about wearing something like that.

"Just had to carry some luggage to its destination," Penelo said and took a deep breath. The performance was up in a few hours. She still wanted to practice it once more. That she had found Garnet to sing for her was quite a stroke of luck. She had initially asked Rydia, who then pointed to Garnet. "It's nice that you'll help me out. Thanks, Garnet."

"You can call me Lilly. That's what my friends called me, too." Garnet remembered the moment she had first used that name. After escaping the castle, a good friend showed her a dagger. It was a Lilly dagger, and that was how she got her alias.

"I'll do just that." Penelo smiled and started to go over the dance movements once more.

The air in the tent was getting a bit thick. Kairi, Naminé, and Olette were taking a break in the fresh air. Olette was already slightly drunk, leaning on Naminé and being a little bit too clingy for Kairi's taste. But the blond girl was no less drunk than Olette, which was a complete mystery to Kairi. How the heck had she managed to be that bad of a drinker?

They eventually found Yuffie, who was thankful for Kairi's help. They continued to determine which cable was which when they heard a loud thumping sound. Olette and Naminé had lost their balance and were lying in the snow, one on top of the other. Kairi's facial color went from normal to bright red when the girls started to kiss and make out on the open street. Yuffie was no different.

Grabbing their respective partners, Kairi and Yuffie decided to get them something to sober up. Maybe a double triple knock-out coffee was enough. Something along those lines.

The day went on, and the tent filled itself to the very edge of bursting when Penelo and Garnet made their appearance. Garnet sang a beautiful but calm song in the beginning, and Penelo showed smooth dance maneuvers to accompany that. The next song was quick and happy, and every cheered when Penelo really stepped a level up.

Kairi and Yuffie, along with Naminé and Olette (who had both sobered up and were happily unaware of what had happened) watched Penelo close up. Yuffie bragged the whole time that she could dance just the same and Olette teased her about it.

The evening came sooner than they thought it would, and when it was dark outside, people spent more time at the stalls. Rydia, Ashe, Tifa, and Aerith were doing a round, all four of them with a hot mug of wine punch in their hands. While Tifa and Aerith were walking with arms linked, Rydia and Ashe didn't…until Ashe decided that she had drunk enough to just grab Rydia's waist and imitate the women next to her.

Leon had retreated to his own tent, and to his surprise, after a while, even the quiet swordsman showed up. Without words, they sat down and clinked glasses, enjoying the party from a safe and not-so-loud distance. It was almost time for the fireworks when Cid grabbed the megaphone and got everyone's attention.

He was so drunk that it took him three tries to actually say, "Attention everyone!" The crowd was laughing, cheering and jeering at him, everyone amused and happy. They knew, no matter how drunk, Cid would never mess up with his mechanics.

Yuffie had relocated from the tent to the outside when she heard Cid's voice and got ready to fire off the fireworks. There was quite a load of them. Olette soon joined her, and Kairi and Naminé were watching from a different spot.

Tifa and Aerith sat on the walls high up, alone and in darkness, waiting for the fireworks to start. They had said their goodbyes to Rydia and Ashe, who were now happily drinking together down in the crowd.

Garnet and Penelo, both exhausted from their performances, were enjoying some spiced wine outside the tent, anticipating the fireworks.

"Eeeeeveryone ready?!" Cid yelled and nearly staggered down the table. The crowd laughed and then cheered.

"I can't hear ya!" Cid shouted, and acted like he was trying to catch a whisper. The crowed exploded with cheers. Everyone in town was partying.

"Then let's get this party staaaaarted!" Cid announced, and hit a big red button that served no other purpose than look big and important. "Shit, wrong button…" He was supposed to whisper but accidentally said it in the megaphone. The crowd roared with laughter.

He gave Yuffie a sign, and the girl pressed a few buttons. Fireworks rose in the sky.

With bangs and explosions, the rockets and balls magically drew quiet smiles and admiration on everyone's faces. Far above Hollow Bastion, the fireworks exploded into the shape of three Keyblades crossed over a single point. Many shapes followed. Everyone felt touched and shouted out their happiness when a series of fireworks wrote "_Hollow Bastion – Our Home_" in the sky.

Together as one, Hollow Bastion said goodbye to the old year and welcomed the new one. Mugs were shaken, kisses shared, and cheers and happiness were all about.

--- End of Special III ---

**Author's note**: Better late than never! Valiant Hearts and all its characters wish you a happy 2010. So that the stories might stay well, you readers have fun and everyone enjoy their ride!


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